Alas thu haddyst chosen me for thy wyfe, and dedyst set me vp in great state & honoure. For what greatter honoure maye one haue, than to be in the place of thy wyfe, whych swetely taketh her rest so nere the. Of all thy goodes quene, mastres, and lady, and also in suretie both of body and sowle. Of great fauoure is it, that I so vyle a creature, am so ennoblyshed by the. Now to speake it breuely, I haue more, & better than any man mortall can desyre. Wherfor my harte hath cause to sygh alwayes, and with habundaunce of teares, myne eyes to come out of my heade. My mouthe can not make to many exclamacyons. For there is neyther newe nor auncyent writynges, that can shewe so pytiefull a case, as the same is whych I wyll tell now. Shall, or dare I tell it? Maye I pronounce it without shame? Alas yea. For my confusyon is it not to shewe the great loue of my husbāde. Therfor I care not, if for hys worshyp I do declare my faulte. [Sidenote: Esa. 5.] [Sidenote: Iob. 10.] O my sauer, whych dyed & was crucyfyed on the crosse for my synnes. Thys dede is not suche, as a father to leaue hys sonne, or as a chylde to offēde hys mother or els as a syster to grudge & chyde. Alas thys is worse. For the offence is greatter where more loue & knowledge is. For the more famylyaryte we haue with God & the more benefytes we receyue of hym the greatter is our offēce whan we with hym dyssemble. Specyally that I shuld so do, whych am called hys spouse, and loued of the as thyne owne sowle. Shall I tell the truthe? Yea. I haue lefte the, forgoten the, & ranne awaye from the. I ded leaue the for to go at my vayne pleasure. I forsoke the and chose other. Yea, I refused the, the welsprynge of all goodnesse and faythfull promyse. I ded leaue the. But whyther went I? Into a place where nothynge was but cursednesse. [Sidenote: Hebre. 12.] [Sidenote: Luce. 8.] I haue lefte the my trusty frynde and louer, worthy to be loued aboue all other. I haue put the asyde, o welsprynge of all helthesomnesse, by myne owne wretched wyll. Yea, I haue forsaken the, full of bewtie, goodnesse, wysdom, and power, & sought to withdrawe me from thy loue. I haue accepted thy great enemyes, that is the deuyll, the worlde, and the fleshe, agaynst whōe thu faughtest so sore on the crosse, to ouercome for my sake, to set me at lyberte, whych was by thē of lōge tyme a prysoner slaue. And so bounde, that no man coulde cause me to humble my selfe. And as for the loue & charyte that I shulde haue had towardes the, they ded quēche it so that the name of Iesus my husbāde, whych before I had founde so swete, was to me tedyouse & hatefull. So that often tymes I ded iest at it. And if any man (I hearynge a sermon) had sayd vnto me, the preacher sayth wele. I wolde afferme it but the worde went awaye from me, as a fether doth in the wynde. [Sidenote: Hiere. 2.] [Sidenote: Math. 25[unclear].]